Document EP 1,161,319 discloses a mould-forming machine of the above-mentioned type. This moulding machine is of a type in which a cope flask, a pattern plate and a drag flask are capable of rotating over an angle of 90° between a horizontal position and a vertical position. The horizontal position is associated with inserting the pattern plate between the cope and drag flask before the sand charging and compacting step and is associated with the removing of the pattern plate and the discharging of the cope and drag after the charging and compacting step. The sand charging and compacting step is performed with the cope flask, drag flask and pattern plate in the vertical position. The cope flask with the cope flask squeeze plate and the drag flask with the drag flask squeeze plate are supported by a swing frame and rotatable in unison between the horizontal position and the vertical position, and the relative movements of the cope squeeze plate, drag flask and drag squeeze plate are guided by separate guide rods, respectively, whereas the cope flask is held fixedly relative to the swing frame. In this way the alignment function is provided by the swing frame and the guide rods connected thereto, and a separate compression frame is used to transmit the relative large forces related to the compacting of the sand.
This construction is relatively complex and the alignment of the individual guide rods for each of the movable components, i.e. drag flask, cope squeeze plate, drag squeeze plate and pattern plate, requires a time-consuming procedure during assembly of the machine.